Educating street children in the Mathare slums

Dear Friends,

I wanted to bring you some good news regarding our children's fund.  These are tough times, for charities and donors alike, and so we set ourselves the task of adding more value to each contribution that you decide to give.  We have 130 kids whose future depends on us making it through to better times, and as the project founder, I feel a particular responsibility to help make that happen.  So I and a very generous supporter who would rather not be named have decided that we will each match 100% of any donation you make before December 15th.  

What is the matching funds campaign all about?

 We will each match 100% of your donation if it comes in before December 15th.  So a donation that would keep a child in school for a year will keep three children in school for a year instead.  If you commit to a monthly amount, we will each match, up front, a full year's worth of your monthly commitment.  The only limits are that your donation must be made before December 15th, and that each of us will match up to $20,000, so $40,000 between the two of us. 

 What do we do?  We help children from the age of four up, who live in Mathari or the surrounding slums.  Many of them are orphans, and all of them live in squalour.  They don't have enough to eat and they can't afford to go to school, so they spend their time scavenging for food.  They face violence, hunger and disease and, without an education, they really have no way out.  We pay for school fees, medicine and food.  We have three social workers who find schools and technical training opportunities, and then work with the children to help them stay with the programme.   We’ve been doing this successfully for the past eleven years.

 What are the results? 

• 110 kids in school right now, drug-free, healthy and learning every day.  Many of these would be dead by now if it weren’t for the programme. 20 more joining next month.
• Over 300 children helped over the eleven-year life of the programme to date.
• 15 have made it to university, colleges or technical training schools.  I don’t need to tell you that they weren’t going anywhere near university when we first saw them on the streets.
• 64 have made it through to secondary schools, and are on their way to graduating.

What does it cost to change a life?   12 US Dollars per child per week on average.

Why should you support this programme?

• Because we keep costs to a minimum so that your money goes further.  There are no landcruisers, no frills of any kind.  Keep a child alive, well and learning for a year – for about the cost of three cappuccinos per week!
• Because I and my friends who run the project pay all the administrative expenses, so 100% of your donation goes to run the programme.  What other charity deducts zero percent of your money for administration?
• Because we will match any donation you make between now and December 15^th, up to a total of €$40,000.  You'll achieve three times as much with your donation as you could otherwise.
• Because they're children facing unbelievable odds, and they deserve our active support.

 The best way to give

Any way is good, but if you pledge a monthly amount – say $30 per month – that enables us to be sure of what we can offer each child in terms of school fees, medicine, food and school books for a year.  Global Giving enables you to do that.

Where can you find out more?

• Watch a ten-minute film about the project on YouTube: ctrl+click here
• Watch a 2-minute film highlighting the matching funds campaign: ctrl+click here
• Take a look at our new website: www.mathari.org    
• Let's keep in touch: 
  • Follow us on Twitter    
  • Add us on Facebook   
  • Subscribe on YouTube

BUT PLEASE REMEMBER - THIS OFFER ONLY RUNS TO DECEMBER 15TH.  PLEASE HELP BEFORE THEN!

Thank you for all of your help for these children.

Links:

• Mathari Children's Fund website
• Watch a 10-minute film about the project